﻿Devarim: Di Zahav - Too Much Gold

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This week:
Bechukotai

What is Di Zahav?

Deuteronomy opens with a detailed description of the location
where Moses delivered his final speeches:

“These are the words that Moses spoke to all
of Israel on the east bank of the
Jordan River... near Paran, Tofel, Lavan, Chazeroth, and
Di Zahav.” (Deut. 1:1)

Why do we need to know the precise location
of Moses’ orations? The Sages explained that each
of these names held a special meaning —
and a veiled rebuke — for those listening.
‘Di Zahav,’ for example, was a reminder of
the Sin of the Golden Calf (zahav meaning ‘gold').

According to one opinion, however, the name Di Zahav
also indicated a justification for the behavior of
the Jewish people:

“What is Di Zahav? This is what Moses told
God: ‘Master of the World! It is because
of all the silver and gold that You showered upon the
Israelites — until they said, Dai! [Enough!] — that is what caused them to
make the Golden Calf.'1 (Berachot 32a)

Do you know anyone who had enough money and
refused to accept more?

The Human Drive For More

The basis of serving God is our natural drive
to continually advance and achieve. The goal of
life is to be close to God, Whose
perfection is boundless. Thus we must continually perfect
ourselves in order to draw near to God.
Of course, this aspiration can never be fully attained.
We are never able to say, “Enough! I have achieved
everything.” Each accomplishment makes us aware of even greater challenges
and goals.

In order to lead us on this path of
constant growth, God planted within the human soul
the incessant drive to always seek more. As
Solomon noted: “The soul will never be sated”
(Ecc. 6:7). This drive also compels us regarding
material acquisitions: “One who loves silver never has his
fill of silver” (Ecc. 5:9). Our drive for more is
an indication that we can only attain our true goals
through continual spiritual growth.

Limited Aspirations

When the Israelites sojourned in the wilderness, all of
their physical needs were taken care of. They
drew water from the well of Miriam, manna
rained down from the sky, and their clothes
never wore out. In this situation, they had
little to gain by seeking additional possessions and wealth.
It would just be more to carry. The soul’s natural
drive was artificially suppressed, so that when the Israelites were
showered with more silver and gold than they could ever
need, their response was, ‘Enough!’

This was Moses’ defense for the Jewish people. Their
unique existence in the wilderness, where all their
needs were miraculously provided, stifled their soul’s natural
desire for more. Dependent upon gifts from Heaven,
lacking challenges and goals, they became satisfied and
indolent. And this impacted their spiritual aspirations.

Since their natural drive to advance was weakened, the
Israelites turned to more easily attainable spiritual goals.
And this is what led them to the
Sin of the Golden Calf.

What is the root of idolatry? It is the
psychological desire to cleave to something closer to
us, something tangible and finite. It is the
choice not to seek out the infinite and
boundless, but to take the easier route, to
be content worshipping a force which is easy to
identify and relate to.

This aberrant form of spirituality suited a people with
limited aspirations. This is what Moses told God:
“Di Zahav — it is because of all
the silver and gold that You showered upon the Israelites, until they said, ‘Enough!’
- that is what caused them to lower
their sights and worship the Golden Calf.”